Jen's Bachelorette Party
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Jen and her friends are celebrating, but something is lying underneath it all.  A secret that will cause nothing but pain, and the fact that secret is going to come out!
1. Chapter 1

Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated characters, names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

Rating: T – Mild adult themes and language

In a restaurant deep within Silver Hills, the Time Force team were taking one of the few rare occasions they all had time off together to go out and celebrate. Far from any normal time, this was one of the few that they had all ben granted at the same time, so that Jen could have a bachelorette party.

She was sitting in a booth, talking to Katie, gently caressing her slightly swollen stomach. It was now four months since she had returned to the past from her mission to Turtle Cove to track the Mutorgs. She had been deeply affected for a while by her brief reunion with her beloved Wes. For a while they rekindled what they had once had, but in the end, she had been forced to return to the year 3000. One of the most strongly enforced laws in Time Force was the outright ban on leaving any person, or any technology in a time it didn't belong. Time had already been changed as a result of their actions in the past, and everyone was paranoid about the potential for catastrophe should history be altered.

Lucas had just finished another dance with Nadira, kissing her softly, and came over to the bar where Trip was sitting slugging yet another beer. He had been in something of a mood for a while now.

"You know it is a party." Lucas reminded him. "Traditionally people are meant to have fun."

"Usually people have a party to celebrate." Trip added bitterly. "I don't see anything to celebrate here do you?"

Lucas just gave him a little smirk. Nobody liked Alex, least of all Trip. For some reason though, his disdain for their superior officer had become even more obvious and outspoken. These days, he didn't hide his dislike of him from anyone, not even Alex. He had been pulled aside and spoken to about his attitude a few times now since he had gotten back together with Jen.

"Look, I don't like the guy either, but it's Jen's choice." Lucas reminded him. "Come on, can't you just drop the attitude for a little while? Come on, it's her bachelorette party."

"He's no good for her!" Trip snapped. "You know that!"

"Jen can look after herself." Lucas put down flatly grabbing Trip's arm. "Jen doesn't have a whole lot of friends, that's why we're here. How we feel about Alex doesn't matter, we're here to support Jen."

"Let me go." Trip hissed.

"If I buy you a large Jack do you promise to at least not act like an asshole for one toast?" He asked him. "For her sake?"

Trip looked away and bit his lip. He hated to think of the fact that Jen was going back to Alex. He had tolerated the relationship the first time because she was a friend. She remembered him with rose-tinted glasses, remembering only the good and noble traits about him. Unfortunately her love for him had blinded her to some of his less admirable traits. He was cold, he was bossy, he was a bully, and most of all, unbeknown to her, he could be cruel. Trip had seen the way he treated the other cadets at the academy. While he had taken Jen under his wing and treated her softly, earning her love, he had treated most of the others at best with a brutal, overbearing harshness, and at worst with outright brutality. Trip had himself been on the verge of quitting the academy several times because of Alex's attitude.

"Trip!" Lucas snapped as the bartender arrived with the drinks he had ordered while he was lost in thought. "Are you going to be cool or do I need to call you a cab?"

"I'll hold it together." Trip told him, taking his drink as they headed to the table.

"Hey, another round for the blushing bride!" Nadira announced as they arrived with the tray of drinks, sitting down. Everyone other than Jen and Trip had champagne. Lucas figured given his obvious problems with Alex that he could do with something stronger, while Jen, due to the pregnancy, was settling for lemonade. Katie, her Maid of Honour stood up, tapping her glass.

"Alright, I guess I'm the one who has to make the speech." Katie announced. "We all know why we're here. We're all here to wish Jen well on her upcoming wedding. I don't think any of us could have believed it when she got back together with Alex, but given how blessed they've been, the miracle they've been blessed with..."

Jen giggled a little as Katie patted her belly. Lucas noticed Trip shifting uncomfortably in his seat, and kicked him under the table to remind him of his promise.

"...and the speed with which they've rediscovered their love and agreed to marry again, I doubt anyone could think of anyone less deserving of happiness." She concluded, raising her glass. "To Jen and Alex!"

"Jen and Alex!" They all chorused, taking a drink. All except for Trip. He just stared into his glass, his expression one of complete disgust, like someone had asked him to drink his own urine. Jen finally noticed it, and put down her glass.

"Trip, what's wrong?" She asked him.

"He's had a long day." Lucas assured her, giving him a hard glare. "I bet he's just tired."

"Don't make excuses for me." Trip replied putting his glass down and sliding it away from him.

"Trip..."

"I'm sorry Jen, I can't drink to that." He interrupted her. "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a liar."

"Trip!" Katie shrieked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't sit back and pretend I'm cool with this!" He snapped. He threw some cash on the table to cover his share of the bill. "Sorry Jen, but I won't be at the wedding."

"Trip, stop!" Jen begged him. "Please, you're one of my best friends, it wouldn't feel right if you weren't there."

"But it isn't right, is it Jen?" He snapped back. "We both know that don't we?"

She recoiled in horror as she realised what he meant.

"Trip, why are you being such an asshole?" Lucas asked as he got up, grabbing him roughly. "You've had a chip on your shoulder for weeks now." Trip tapped the crystal on his forehead with his finger.

"I'm Xybrian remember? Sometimes knowing what people think isn't a good thing." Trip answered, before looking back to them. "Don't any of you see it? Can't you get what's going on?"

"Trip, that's none of your business!" Jen told him.

"It is Alex's business though." He replied. "He has a right to know."

"A right to know what?" Katie asked them. "Trip...?"

"Think about it Katie, don't you think it was a little strange how quick they got back together?" He asked her. "How quickly Jen announced she was pregnant?"

"Trip please..."

"You can do what you want with your life Jen, I can't stop you, but Alex has a right to know and you know it." He told her. "The baby isn't his. It's Wes'."

With that, he turned and stormed out of the bar. Jen felt her tears beginning to fall as the others turned to stare at her at the revelation. She had hoped no one would find out, but in hindsight that was unlikely when one of her best friends was a Xybrian. Her hands cradled her stomach protectively as she broke down and wept.


	2. The Truth of Jen's Baby

Katie made her way into the Girl's room after Trips outburst. Jen had run in, and been hiding there for a while. Katie still wasn't sure how to react. On one hand, a large part of her agreed with Trip. It wasn't right that Jen was going to marry Alex just so she wouldn't have to raise the baby alone, especially when he didn't seem to know that the baby wasn't his. On the other hand, she had also been Jen's best friend for years, and could never think of standing against her. She arrived, finding a couple of women standing outside a cubicle, staring at it as a clear, loud sobbing sound came from inside.

"The floor show's over ladies, get out of here." Katie warned them. They all turned to look at her. "You can get out, or I can throw you out, which would you prefer?"

Within seconds, the bathroom was empty, all except for Katie and Jen, who was still in the cubicle crying.

"Jen..."

"Go away!" She snapped.

"You need a friend..."

"What I need is for everyone to stop telling me what I need!" Jen snarled aggressively. "Now get the hell out of here!"

"If you want me out, you'll have to throw me out." Katie stated abruptly as she prepared for a conflict with her closest friend. "We both know how that will end."

"Katie, just...leave me alone!" She shrieked. Katie just shook her head.

"I can't do that, you're my best friend." She replied. "Now, in exactly three seconds I'm kicking this door in. You can unlock it yourself, or get out the way. Either way I'm coming in."

Katie heard the locking mechanism trigger and the door opened. Jen took a seat on the latrine, her tears still running and ruining her make-up.

"Please tell me he's wrong." Katie begged her. Jen just shook her head.

"He's not wrong. I knew about a week after we came back." She confessed to her closest friend. She looked up to her, her eyes filled with tears. "I need to do this!"

"Jen, you can't just lie to Alex an expect him to raise a kid that isn't his!" Katie told her. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, all I knew was I had to do right by the baby!" She sobbed as she slid off the latrine and curled into a ball. Katie rolled her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Time Force Regulation 2211089 subsection 6 paragraph 12." Jen replied. Katie just sighed.

"If a Time Force Officer is required to go to another time period, they are forbidden to bring back any item, regardless of form, be it mineral, vegetable or anim..."

Her words tailed off as she finally figured out where Jen's thoughts were going.

"The baby?" She asked. Jen just nodded.

"What's more of a paradox than a kid whose dad died about a thousand years ago?" Jen asked her. "If anyone knew the truth..."

"They'd abort the pregnancy." Katie gasped, realising the situation Jen was in.

"I can't go back, there's no way I could do that without anyone finding out!" She sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "I can't let them take the baby Katie, I just can't!"

"Jen..."

"I've had it growing inside me for the last four months Katie, it's a part of me!" She roared. "If I tell the truth, they'll make me have an abortion. If I don't, and Alex continues to believe me, maybe things..."

"It isn't right Jen." Katie interrupted her. "He needs..."

"I'm not wearing the same rose-tinted glasses Katie, I know he's an asshole." She snapped before Katie could finish. "I know he doesn't deserve this, but he's as by-the-book as it comes. If he had any idea, I'd be in the abortion clinic before my next breath!"

Katie looked around; making sure no one was in the room, before coming close to her.

"Jen, if you aren't happy, then I won't be." She told her. Katie took Jen's hands in her own and held them softly. "You can't marry Alex. You know that. I'm going to get you where you need to be."

Just then, Trip burst into the Girl's room. He looked a little uncomfortable, but understanding of the situation.

"Katie...?"

"We'll get you where you need to be." Katie assured her. "No matter the cost to ourselves."


	3. Jen's Return

Bruno, the barman was busy cleaning up when Wes staggered into the bar. He had just about gotten over Jen leaving when she came back into his life for that glorious fortnight. He took a seat.

"Mr. Collins..."

"Whisky!" He barked, handing the barman a hundred dollar bill. He was never usually one to flaunt or use his father's wealth, but since Jen had left, he really didn't care. If anything, it was just a vehicle for his continuing mission to make himself numb and feel nothing. "Bring a glass and the bottle."

The barman just sighed and went to collect his order.

In Silver Hills, in the year 3000, Katie and Trip dragged Jen through the streets to an apartment block. Katie pounded on the door harshly.

"Give me a minute!" Lucas snapped, before ripping the door open. Seeing them standing before him, he knew this wasn't good. "What?"

"We need your help." Katie replied.

"I don't..."

"Lucas, we need your help or some seriously bad shit is going to go down." Katie told him. Lucas looked a little sceptically at Trip. It wasn't even a full day since he had called him out on the fact he was about to walk out on Jen's wedding. "If you don't help, I don't know what's going to happen."

Lucas stepped into the hall, pulling the door closed as he did so. Nadira was sleeping on his bed, and he didn't want her disturbed. He looked to Jen.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"We..."

"I asked her." Lucas interrupted as Katie was about to explain. Jen took a deep breath.

"Trip was right, the baby isn't Alex's." She told him. "You know Time Force regulations."

"We can't bring back plants, animals..." His words tailed off as he finally figured out where this was going. "You really think..?"

"I don't think anything. If they find out, they'll take me straight to the abortion clinic without a second thought." Jen told him. "Lucas, I can't let that happen!"

He shifted a little uneasily as he considered his options. He had never really been a "by the book" kind of guy, but this was a little more than he was used to asking him to commit a felony.

"Katie..."

"If you don't help us, the minute Alex finds out Jen will be taken to an abortion clinic whether she wants it or not." Katie reminded him. "Lucas, what if it was Nadira?"

"She wouldn't be that..." His words tailed off as he looked to Jen. He couldn't finish that statement, he just couldn't. Nadira was only a couple of weeks gone, but she was carrying their first child. He couldn't imagine anything happening to her.

"What can I do?" He asked.

In the early 21st century, Wes was still sitting in the bar when Eric arrived. He looked to the barman, who just pointed to the cubicle where Wes was sitting. After a quick not, he went over and sat down.

"If you weren't the commanding officer the Silver Guardians would have kicked you out by now." Eric told him.

"Fine, kick me out." He replied with a shrug.

"Wes, I know this thing with Jen has shaken you up, but you need to get a grip!" He told his old friend.

"Why Eric? What the Hell do I have to look forward to?" He asked in response.

"Wes, you have your whole life..."

"I don't have a life without her." He muttered in response. "Now unless you're here to drink with me, I have nothing else to say."

Back in the future, Katie led the others through the building. They had top-level security clearance, but that didn't mean people wouldn't be curious what they were doing. They had to stop a couple of times as people asked Jen about the wedding, or asked to stroke her belly and ask when the baby was due.

Finally they got to the hangar, where the time ship was waiting. Jen turned to look at her friends.

"I can't..."

"You don't need to say it." Trip interrupted her, wiping away a couple of tears. Jen was one of his best friends, and he knew if he had said nothing, she would have gone ahead with the wedding and stayed in the year 3000. However, he knew she would have been miserable, and he couldn't watch her do that to herself and Alex. "Just...promise me you'll do the right thing."

Jen approached him, kissing his cheek softly. Lucas was busy punching keys on the control system to set the exact time and date of her arrival.

"So once you get there, you set the charges." Katie reminded her. "The ship needs to be vapourised. Nothing can be left, it needs to be completely destroyed."

Jen just nodded as her tears began again. She knew that if they went ahead with this plan, that this was the last time she would ever see her friends. Once she went back to the past, she would be a fugitive, and while they would erase the records to ensure Alex didn't know exactly where she had gone, she could never return.

"All of you hold it right there." Alex yelled as he stepped into view, holding a gun on them. "Nobody move or I will start shooting."

Jen turned towards him with tears in her eyes. Everyone else held their hands up, knowing that he was serious.

"Alex..."

"I just want to hear you say it." He told Jen. "I just want you to be honest with me for once."

"Alex, I'm so sorry..."

"Just say it!" He roared as his own tears started to roll down his face. "How stupid do you think I am Jen? Did you think I wouldn't figure it out?"

"Alex I'm sorry..."

He dropped the blaster on the floor and fell to his knees, weeping loudly. While he had figured out the truth, that didn't stop it hurting. The woman he loved had still chosen to go back into the past with the child she had made with another guy. Jen approached him, stroking his shoulders softly.

"Alex, I love you. I always will." She told him. "But you know me. You know I can't let them take my baby."

Alex got up, making his way over to her, his lip quivering as he did so.

"You never loved me, did you?" He asked her. Jen just shook her head.

"Alex, what we had was really special." She began. "I'm sorry, but you know what will happen if I stay."

Alex just nodded before kissing his fiancée.

"I'll always love you." He whispered. "But because I love you, I can't ask you to stay."

"Thank you." She breathed as Lucas finished the final preparations. She stepped into the time ship, and disappeared, leaving them forever. Despite his feelings for his superior officer, Trip couldn't help but pat him on the back as Alex broke into tears.

Back in the early 21st century, Wes was still sitting in the bar, slugging whisky as she arrived. She couldn't help smiling as she saw him. Her heart still soared to see him. After detonating the time ship, she knew it wasn't possible to go back to the future, but seeing her beloved Wes, she knew she had made the right choice. As he prepared to pour another glass, she put her hand over the glass. His gaze followed her arm, up to her face.

"Jen?" He asked her. She just nodded, before stroking her stomach. For Wes, it had only been a couple of weeks since she had left, but for her it had been four long months.

"Yes, I'm back." She told him. "And I'm not going away again."

"You're pregnant?" He gasped. She nodded again.

"Four months." She told him, taking his hand softly. "Wes, I know I treated you badly..."

He didn't need to let her finish. He just pulled her onto his lap and kissed her deeply. The woman he loved had returned to him. There was nothing he could have wanted more.

Fin.


End file.
